Dark Forests
by Fionarox
Summary: Fiona Aleece Lynette wakes from her sleep and discovers she was left an organiod. She starts an epic journey to discover the meaning of her name, and the origin of her powers. Read and Review!


My take on the series  
  
All usual disclaimers apply  
  
''=thinking  
  
""=talking  
  
Thank you for reading! Just something I put together recently! Have fun and don't forget to review!  
  
Fiona stared at the man in front of her, noting his limited powers and trying to reach inside his mind. She mentally withdrew from his mind, noticing his odd tattoo of a Z under his right eye. She sighed, then called out to her organiod to come and take a look. The organiod in question was silver, sleek, and very intelligent. He made a growling sound deep in his throat, motioning towards the village huts they were surrounded by. The village was not very old, and could easily supplied shelter, if the people were friendly, which was why Fiona was there. Unfortunately, they had met a nosy man, who know knew too much for his own good. Fiona wasn't going to kill him, but she didn't know what to do with him. If the Zoidians ever found this man, he could tell them where she was. Which wasn't good. The Zoidians had been after Fiona after she discovered that, above all other life forms, she had the power to control the most dangerous power on Zi. Even though she could call forth Zoid Eve (which she didn't know a thing about), she could also control the primal elements of nature. Fiona's emotions triggered ecological disasters.  
  
When she first discovered that she could control nature, and had 'special' powers, she had been small, five years old. Her older brother had taken her first pet zoid, and left it alone, stranded in a ravine. The one thing her older brother didn't count on was the sudden rain that came that night. Fiona hadn't made the rain come that time. Fiona hadn't found her zoid yet and the next morning her brother told her what he had done. She cried and ran to the ravine that he had described as a childhood play place. There they found the baby zoid, drowned. She had screamed, and a spear of raw lightning had engulfed her body. She sobbed, cried, all for the little baby zoid. When the lightning lifted, she was the same as before, except for two marks, turquoise and triangular, on her forehead. She had fainted, and all the villagers who had watched with horror had not touched her. All except for Reece, her adopted sister, the same age as her. Reece brought her back to their house, and nursed her back into consciousness. When a villager had gone to the capital city to pray for her and ask for guidance on her behalf, a man she didn't know started telling people she was dangerous and to stay away from her.  
  
Everyone listened to the strange man, everyone except her family. When they had finally come after her she had been twelve, almost thirteen. She had tried to escape, but they caught her. They made her go to sleep in a dark place. Before her eyes closed, she saw the zoid that would be there when or if she ever woke up, her protector. They set a wild, silver organiod with the same color eyes as hers; vermilion red, into an emerald capsule. And then she slept.  
  
When she had woken up, she had been asleep for almost two thousand years. She saw that the wires had become faulty, and woken her up. She was glad to be awake, and wanted to start searching for her village. She didn't know that her family had died, as had all other people of her race of telekinetic beings. As she had gone to the door she had opened the capsule of her organiod. Keeping her temper in check, and trying not to remember her first zoid, she started out of the building to only find desert. She took a step back from the steep drop off towards the sand. The hot wind blew in her face as she called to the organiod. The organiod came, happy to be released from his sleep. Fiona sighed and hugged the organiod, the first sign of affection he had ever been given. He made a low purring sound at the back of his throat, trying to sooth her fears.  
  
As she climbed on the organiod's back, she said, "Let's call you Zeke." He tried the sound at the back of his metallic neck, and liked it. He gave a roar and started his burners toward a speck on the horizon. She closed her eyes at the sand blowing into them, but her golden hair stayed the same. Her bangs blew across her face, her long hair fanning down her back. She liked the smooth ride, which soon came to an end. Because Fiona had woken up in the evening, it was soon twilight, and she stared at wonder at the sky. It had been a long time since she had seen the any color, only darkness. The violet twirled with the azure hues in the sky, making it the most beautiful thing she remembered ever seeing. Her memory had been programmed to erase, but something went wrong. She remembered, but only piece meal thoughts, like her best blue-haired friend and sister. The villagers didn't seem to think the night was as wondrous as she thought, because every thing was inside, including the zoids and livestock. She let out her breath in a pouty huff of air. She didn't recognize anything here, but it was definitely in the spot where her village was supposed to be.  
  
That was when she'd seen the man. Zeke had been exploring on his own, but came at the soft calling of his mistress. He let out his growling sound, then shifted into a defensive stance in front of Fiona. The man smiled, then reached out, and before the organiod could move, began patting her hair like you would a pet. She shrugged off the man, and started backing slowly away from him. As she did that, she backed up into another man, who smiled at her kindly before talking to the other man.  
  
"What are you doing out here scaring little girls like that Raymond? I thought you were inside cooking for your dinner tonight with the chief. Go on! Off with you boy." The man who had smiled at her sympathetically said.  
  
Raymond left, but not without giving Fiona a good look over, and an evil grin. The gentle young man turned out to be the Reverend, who led her to one of the huts. Fiona had supposed it was his, but it turned out to belong to the Flyheights, who were orphans. There were two people in the room, a girl and a boy. Maria, the older sister, gasped at the sight of Fiona, who now vaguely realized that she had no clothes. She remembered the Zoidians had said that her clothes would deteriorate while she would not. Fiona looked to Maria like a naked, determined and fatigued young girl who had a face as blank as clean paper. When the organiod followed her inside the younger one, Van, looked away from the ceiling he had been staring at, and gazed with wonder and envy at the sight of a rare and magnificent zoid such as Zeke. Fiona could feel herself slipping away, and thought tiredly, 'I over did it' before looking on, again, to an inky blackness.  
  
When she woke up, she knew suddenly that the Zoidians were all gone. She knew it like she knew that she had two hands. She felt her heart clutch painfully, and tears started to spill down her cheeks. Outside, Maria noticed, it had been clear and warm before, now it was sharply turning colder, and rain was already pelting onto the roof.  
  
Maria thought this strange, and turned to ask the Reverend about it, but he was staring with awe at the young girl laying on the couch, staring up at the ceiling with tears streaming down her cheeks. Van was wolfing down his food, and taking all the papaya's there were, while staring with jealousy at the silver zoid. The zoid moved protectively towards Fiona, and growled to the Reverend. The priest moved quickly away, smiling as he watched the organiod nuzzle Fiona, and viewed as Zeke picked her up with his small, metallic arms. Zeke looked questioningly at Maria, and she led him to the guest room. When Fiona lay down on the bed, she was instantly asleep again. When Zeke tugged the covers over with his teeth, purring in a soft, crooning voice to the now unconscious girl, Maria watched with an unknown tenderness in her heart at the two. Van stayed at the table, wondering if he would be allowed to listen to Maria and the Reverend's impending conversion. He was, and so was the zoid. It solemnly represented Fiona.  
  
"What will we do with her, Reverend?" Maria started as she cleared the table, her sable hair bound behind her back.  
  
"My dear, I saw Raymond cornering her in one of the alleys." The Reverend stated matter of factly.  
  
"What?! Not Raymond! He's my buddy, and he wouldn't do that to some weird girl!" Now it was Van's turn to contribute. Maria sighed. It was getting to be a long night. She finished cleaning up, and sat down at the table. Van looked indignantly to his older sister, then to the priest. The zoid gave a throaty roar, and gave Van a disapproving glare. Van stared back, furious that a mere zoid over ruled his protests. While Fiona slept peacefully again, a heated discussion began over where she would go. Van wanted her to stay, but he remained suspiciously quiet whether this was because of the organiod, or not. Maria was worried for her safety, and wanted to adopt Fiona as her sister. The Reverend wanted her to live with the Chief, and to teach them the taming of wild zoids, as he guessed Zeke was. Zeke remained quiet, watching each human in turn say why they thought she should stay in the village. Zeke shook his head disdainfully. He had already decided they would journey for something important, looking in ruins for any clue as to where they were going. He knew they should have been looking for something, but didn't know what. He tip toed quietly out of the room, and walked to Fiona's quarters. He snuggled next to Fiona, and promptly fell asleep, breathing quietly, not waking the powerful little girl next to him.  
  
When Fiona awoke, the dawn had not yet graced the sky. Zeke was awake as well. The duo shared the same thoughts occasionally, and that was the first sign that Fiona had gained telepathy as another one of her 'gifts'. They both got up, Fiona, softly and quietly, Zeke, clanking as noiselessly as he could. Both had decided to leave. Fiona had worn old clothes of Maria's, faded pink and cream white, but they were so different to what she was expecting that she stole a pair of Van's clothes, which fit better and had brighter colors. Ancient Zoidians had worn farming clothes to better suit their needs for swiftness and for practical reasons. She now wore an ensemble of dark blue shorts with a green stripe on the hem, with a white light blue shirt. The tawny belt that she wore turned the lower part of the shirt into a skirt that fell over the shorts. Her hair was tied back with a dark blue bow, which Maria had had pink the other day. He also borrowed sturdy brown boots that looked too small for Van, but perfect for her. She vowed to return the stolen clothes one day.  
  
Fiona motioned to Zeke, 'Shh.' She thought to him. They both crept to the front door, only to be ambushed by Maria and the Reverend. Both hadn't slept, they had concluded that Fiona would try to leave and were going to stop them. Fiona, fearing for Zeke's safety, lost control of her emotions and the weather. A dust devil swept up from thin air, threatening to blind anyone who dared stand against it. The Reverend brought one arm up to shield his face, but Maria hurriedly closed all the opened windows and doors. The wind slowly stopped blowing as Fiona calmed down. Zeke watched his petite charge lean against his living metal body. Strength flowed from his body to hers, encasing them in a refreshing blue light. Fiona looked up in wonder at her organiod and laughed. The light receded, and all four beings were left alone from the supernatural for a little while longer. Fiona sighed, and looked over her shoulder. Van was there, staring strangely at her. She thought it was because she was wearing some of his clothes, but Maria knew better. She grinned behind her hand, then noticed what Fiona was wearing.  
  
"Oh, but look Reverend! We have a tomboy among us." She said, and giggled loudly. Fiona just starred, not knowing what a 'tomboy' was. Maria sighed.  
  
"Come on young lady, will you tell us your name? How old are you? Where are your parents?"  
  
Fiona shivered slightly in the dampness of the now dawn. It used to be warm when she had lived here, but perhaps it was still the nights chill yet lingering. The young blonde shrugged. Maria looked a little annoyed, a little exasperated.  
  
"Can't you tell me your colony?" the woman said.  
  
"What's a colony?"  
  
Maria looked startled. She looked behind her shoulder at the Reverend and looked with an expression that said, 'Can you believe this?'  
  
Obviously the Reverend could. He went over to Fiona and placed a hand on her head. Fiona's blood chilled, and she stepped away from the man. He had evidently just remembered how he had found her, and had the grace to look embarrassed.  
  
"Excuse me, I'm truly sorry." He said, and Fiona believed him. "Would you mind staying at the Wind Colony? That's this place. A colony is like a village, or community. We are a farming industry, even though we're so close to the desert. Would you?"  
  
Fiona stared uncertainly at the inhabitants of the room. Every fiber of her being was screaming at her to stay, but she knew that if she did leave, these people would talk to officials about her. Plus, if she stayed here, she might remember something. Fiona slowly nodded, and quietly said, "Thank you. May I farm as well?" She wanted to appear demure, but inside she was still a child, albeit a very talented and terrified one. The Reverend smiled, and after a glance at Maria said that she could.  
  
Fiona stayed at the Wind Colony for a month. It was very pleasant there, and Fiona slowly learned back what she had forgotten when she had spent all those years in her tiny capsule. Finally, her heart was free and she was able to run and jump on the young grass again. One day, when Fiona was racing Van in the fields, she accidentally summoned a tail wind, which actually lifted her off the ground. Van's eyes were so wide that Fiona burst out laughing. The sun shone extremely bright, and lazy puffs of clouds suddenly disappeared from the bright flashes of heat. Fiona's good mood suddenly plummeted, and Zeke rose up with his boosters to lower her to the ground.  
  
Fiona's tousled hair poured behind her back. Van looked up, and his minds eye, he saw a Goddess of Zoids. Van had grown increasingly close with Fiona over the days and was now great friends with the mysterious girl. Fiona remembered Reece with sadness, but was determined to find the answers to her powers soon and to not fall into shadow.  
  
Only Zeke held back. He was sure Van was only being friends with Fiona to steal him. But eventually, he came to grudgingly trust Van, if only because of Fiona's pleas. Fiona told Maria what her name was, and Maria let it be known. She thought it was a lovely name, but to the slim young child, it only represented the large number of things she had left behind.  
  
In the month that the fallen Zoidian stayed in the colony, the zoids prospered and were born strong and healthy when the girl was there, helping with the birthing. Fiona helped as much as she could, sometimes even secretly more. When the villagers had extreme drought, she secretly conjured up scattered and shot images of her dead family to make herself cry so that it would rain. The tears came steadily as the rain, and supplied the villagers with enough to stand through the next drought. Zeke enjoyed himself by flying around the desert, looking into the ruins where he and Fiona had awakened, looking for clues as to what he was searching for.  
  
It was on one of these missions that Zeke was spotted hunting inside a long deserted ruin. A deserter of the army spotted him, and reported back to his boss what he had seen. The boss was interested, and looked for the thing himself, right before dusk. He was not disappointed. Zeke went across the sky like a bright azure comet. The man followed the bright line to the colony, then whispered to the deserter beside him,  
  
"We've found one."  
  
^^^^^^^^^^ ^^^^^^^^^^  
  
That night, Fiona enjoyed a kettle of chowder and looked up when Zeke came in through the door.  
  
'You are late. Did you find anything?' she thought, while getting his bowl that Maria had bought for him, and filling it with soup. Zeke growled his thanks and shook his head to the question. He then proceeded to slurp up the bowl in two gulps. Organiod's don't need to eat, but Zeke found pleasure in the variety of things one could eat. Maria and Van, seated at the table stared at him. The silver organiod blushed, and curled up next to Fiona on the floor. Fiona returned to her seat, and poured the saucer of salt into her stew. Van made a face, and Maria giggled. Fiona turned a flattering pink and quietly began eating her chowder that Maria had made. Van started chattering about the zoid his friend Grake had raised, following the tips of Fiona.  
  
Abruptly, there were explosions around the house, and further into the fields. The four rushed into the streets, where they saw giant bird-like Redlers in the darkening sky, attacking the colony. Fiona sensed the thoughts of the zoids and motioned for Zeke to stay in the house. The others ran toward the Chief and Reverend and watched with horror as some of their crops for the season were wiped out. The grumbling silver, living machine rushed into the basement cellar hidden by a trap door. Fiona locked him securely in and hurried back outside to where her friends stood in a tight group and found that the Redlers had landed.  
  
From out of the big red one immerged a lady with short brown hair and a scarlet streak across her face. Along side her was a big man that had long white hair that framed his sharp face, with a box strapped over his shoulders. He carried what looked like a garden hose. He also had a red line across his face. Fiona wondered if anyone else thought it was odd that this tough man would carry gardening equipment. She looked into Maria's face, and saw a tight strained look that she had never seen on her face before. Fiona looked at the duo again, waiting. Maria stepped protectively in front of Fiona, and the little Zoidian reached for Van, and caught his shirt on the sleeve so that he would not rush at the invaders. She knew now how brash and caring he was. The woman stepped forward.  
  
"We are the Desert Arcobaleno Gang. We want the silver zoid that resides in your village. If you don't hand it over in fifty seconds, we will destroy your village." Fiona gasped, and everyone was carefully looking away from her. Finally, the kindly Reverend stepped forward.  
  
"What is this? We have no zoid that you have described; we are only peaceful farmers' who-" The holy man stopped when a gun barrel was pointed in his direction. The woman held the sleek thing expertly, and slowly moved it through the crowd. Fiona stepped forward resolutely. She stood scared and defiant before the cruel woman and said clearly: "I am the owner of the organiod." Her face was completely emotionless, and Fiona had to keep it that way, other wise the heavens itself would split open and rain lightning on this planet of Zi in all its torrential fury. The man smiled a malicious grin of evil intent. He stepped forward and unfurled the garden hose. Fiona realized a second too late what it was actually used for.  
  
The sharp, could plastic swirled around her body, pulled her away from the other villagers to the space between the invaders and the villagers. At the same time, a high-pressure electrical shock ran through the conducting whip. She screamed as the lightning shocked and burned her.  
  
Van stepped forward helplessly, but stopped when the stocky woman pointed her gun at him. The cruel woman stared at Fiona, and at the night sky with sudden horror. Lightning streaked along her body and as it did, it streaked along the sky as well. On her body, it mingling with the strange magnetic charge that gave her power over lightning. To Fiona, it was intense agony.  
  
Suddenly, the sky opened, and turned a sickening greenish-black. The sky seemed to rupture and a twister touched the desert sand and started slowly turning to the landed zoids. Fiona gritted her teeth. She had to get her emotions under control, or she could kill the entire village! She slowly pushed away her emotions, feeling only the searing pain, the unbearable agony that had to be endured, for others sake. The twister lazily rose back to the sky, which was changing from black to green to a midnight blue. The stars peeked through, as if apologizing for leaving. The two members of the Gang were already trying to regain their composure in front of the frightened villagers.  
  
Fiona had collapsed against the mans lower legs, her head so low it nearly touched the ground, her body bound and folded so that her chest was against her curled knees and her hands wrapped with the whip against her frame. Her eyes were swimming with tears she knew she couldn't spill, and she also knew that the big man above her was eyeing her with plain interest. The woman was glaring at her; Fiona could sense the clogs working in her mind. The small girl heard a loud roar in her mind, and hastily told Zeke to keep tight.  
  
'It's you they want. It doesn't matter if they have me. Just stay put.' She mentally urged him.  
  
"Let her go."  
  
Fiona tried to raise her head, but it was so heavy it was all she could do to keep it from dropping to the dusty ground below. She knew who had said it though. Van. He had always stuck up for her when the locals were terrorizing her. But it was different now. The stakes were higher in this game. The woman sneered at the young boy, and walked over to Fiona. She yanked her to her feet by her golden locks, then shoved her into the lean body of the man who held the whip. He grinned, and turned her away from the village, and started walking her to a Redler.  
  
"Good bye, Van." She whispered, and let the tears fall. The sky turned to a cloudy gray and started to slowly drench the entire village. Behind her, Fiona could hear the woman tell her where to exchange her for Zeke. She also heard the Reverend call out her name, but by then the man was shoving her into a small cockpit, and was starting to put pressure on the button that summoned the electricity. She could already fell sparks crawling over her body. She ground her teeth together and managed to repress most of the scream that tore out of her body. What came out was a painful whimper. The man sneered viscously and shoved her even harder towards the space she would occupy. The sky flashed and rumbled with electricity and movement.  
  
The zoid took flight, as did the big red one that held the woman. The other one, which no one had gotten out of rose quietly into the air and turned west, towards the already set sun. The rain beat a steady rhythm out against the zoid. Fiona sighed and leaned against the reassuring metal of the zoid, whose thoughts said how much he enjoyed having someone to think to.  
  
^^^^^^^^^^ ^^^^^^^^^^  
  
Back at the village, everyone was discussing the strange weather, and the Bandits. Van had run home with Maria in tow, and had searched for where Fiona had hidden Zeke. He finally found him before Zeke smashed the whole house apart to get out. Van quickly explained what happened, and Zeke roared off. Van yelled powerlessly on the ground, "Wait for me!" Zeke barely glanced at the incapable little human, but the Reverend threw a strong rope over the hovering organiod's head. Zeke looked furiously at the little man, but the priest didn't budge, but instead said in a calm voice;  
  
"You won't get her back alone. There is no choice, we must trade you. The Lord knows how Fiona will take this," he said with a sigh and shake of the head. Zeke lowered to the ground, and stood miserably while the towns' people tied him with thick, ropy cords. Van watched Zeke with a sad expression, then went indoors up to his room to think.  
  
He came down at dinner to feed the organiod, then disappeared again. The sky cried, just like Fiona did, hurtling towards danger she didn't know existed. Zeke slept, and so did the rest of the colony. Van slept uneasily, and bounded out of bed the minute the bleary sun showed its tired face. The Reverend slowly walked over to him, and motioned Van away from the immerging Maria.  
  
"Look Van, if they don't return Fiona, well," he showed the wide eyed boy a gun, "This ex-soldier still knows how to shoot. If it does come to that Van, then I want you to get out of there. Understand?" Van nodded, and walked slowly to Zeke. The uppity organiod was already up and stretching against his bonds. Van slowly made a leash out of one of the ropes. He rubbed the warm metal of Zeke's head in a reassuring way, then walked to the middle of the court in the middle of the village.  
  
There stood three brawny men, the villagers' pride, the Chief also known as the Elder, and the Reverend. Van ran to join them, trailing behind a steady Zeke.  
  
"We will return soon with an extra member to our party soon. I would like you all to stay close within the village. No fieldwork is allowed today. See you soon!" Said the Chief, trying to remain cheerful in spite of the tremendous odds. The company settled into two zoids and walked steadily to the meeting place. The bandits were already there. The jumped out of the zoids almost immediately, with Fiona in tow. Zeke roared, and continued the greetings in her mind. She tried to answer all of his questions about the ordeal.  
  
'Zoidians didn't even think of half of the torturous devices they had.' Was the only thought the concerned organiod could read, the rest of her mind was hazy. Fiona's red eyes, the same eye color she shared with Zeke, wore a dead look, had lost her innocent shine. They looked haunted once more, as they had been when Raymond had cornered her, and when she was being hunted. Van was not the only one who noticed that either. She was standing beside the white haired man, with the whip wrapped around her body again. The mere touch of the smooth, supple plastic made her nauseous. She could now detect when she was about to be shocked, or worse, electrocuted. She remembered when it had been last used on her.  
  
The lean youthful man was whipping her again, this time for the fun of it. Her body was covered with welts and dried blood. They had tried to beat the information out of her about Zeke. Then another man had appeared, this one tall, with a muscular body and scraggly red hair that hung in his face and around his shoulders. He had seated himself across from her and had watched, amused, while the guy continued to beat her senseless. She had not screamed, even once, or lost control, even though it cost her.  
  
Fiona could still feel the sharp stings where the whip had bitten her. She was thrown forward towards the group of village men. They were separated by a long stretch of desert, which Fiona started to slowly walk, counting the steps to her freedom from these bandits who used her body for corrupt purposes. Van cried out, and Fiona lifted her head to look at him, tears in her eyes, as she surged forward on her unsteady legs towards her friends and organiod. Suddenly one of the bandits, the one who had taken a liking for her and had ivory hair shot at her feet, making her fall to her knees in surprise. The Chief shouted in anger at the gang of bandits, who all stared at the enraged men. Zeke unexpectedly decided to put his boosters to good use. He sped towards his master with all the speed he could muster. Van yelled as the rope was snapped out of his hand by the hurrying organiod's strength.  
  
Zeke touched base at the side of his tired mistress, and helped her to her feet. The person with the whip snapped it at the crouching pair and caught it around Fiona's neck. She was almost dragged off Zeke's back, but held tightly to her friend. The brutal mercenary pulled on the whip and Fiona found that she couldn't breathe. She motioned for Zeke to head towards the man, where the rope would be less taught, and he followed her commands. The Reverend watched helplessly as Fiona collapsed against the sand and huddled against the organiod, her hands clawing desperately at the knot against her neck. Zeke lost his patience and bit the thing in half, but as he did, the deserter released all the electrical energy that little battery had, and made Zeke pass out. Fiona stared in shock at her friend, then shuddered slowly as she saw a shadow hover over her body. The man bent to pick her up, and the woman, who Fiona had found out was called Viola, laughed and thanked the villagers for their gift. Van rushed forward, yelling indignantly, and the Reverend fired a swift volley of shots, but was unable to hit any real targets on the zoids.  
  
Zeke was picked up in the claws of one of the other zoids and Fiona was once again shoved into a tiny, cramped space that she occupied for the next two hours it took to return to the gangs' base. Zeke moaned, but didn't dare move. If he did, he would plummet to the distant ground below, and lose his precious Fiona. So he endured the harsh ride, amusing himself by unlocking some memories in his digital memory banks that had been locked. It had taken him a while to unlock them, but when he did he found more and more complicated locks. He eventually became bored, and started thinking to Fiona about the locked memories. He theorized that they were part of the mysteries surrounding their sleep, and the now Ancient Zoidians.  
  
But Fiona didn't care; all she wanted to do was rest.  
  
'That little girl looks good enough to eat, even if she is a kid," the white haired man thought, startling Fiona. She shuddered and curled up even more tightly around herself, thinking to Zeke, 'We've got to escape. It's your only chance. Wait-I've got an idea!'  
  
Zeke honed in on her next thoughts clearly, she wanted them to be heard by only him.  
  
'Zeke, listen this is very important. I know they are going to sell you, maybe both of us. We've got to stick together, so to make ourselves more valuable, move when I move, and obey only me, like you usually do. Okay?' Fiona thought urgently, seeing that they were about to descend. Zeke responded with an affirmative.  
  
When Fiona was in the old ruins that the bandits used for a base, she learned everyone's name. The man who liked her was Bianco, the large beefy man who had fed her before was Nero, and the impatient one was Bull. That left the one with red hair and long arms, the boss of these bandits.  
  
Nero had a purplish tone to his skin, with blonde hair to contrast it. He was slightly chubby, but his height made up for that. He wore a plain white shirt with brown pants and black boots when he was at base, but when they went out to wreck havoc, he wore breast and shin armor. His hair flew to one side of his head, and stayed there. His zoid was a yellow command wolf.  
  
Bull was cocky and very similar to Van, but in one difference. Van was of good heart, while Bull was evil. Bull's hair was blue and fell in long spikes down his face to stop before they passed his ears. He usually wore casual clothes that one would wear to a battle. He was the youngest of the deserters, but also one of the most dangerous to cross in a mood. The mysterious gang leader had gifted him with a Guysack for a zoid. He wasn't very popular with the other mercenaries.  
  
Viola, the only girl in the group, was the one who mostly guarded Fiona. She had auburn locks that she tucked behind her ear, with one part covering her right eye. She wore bright red lipstick, and had deep brown eyes. She appeared to like the ringleader of the outfit, but Fiona wasn't too sure she could like anyone. She was usually cold and cutting to everyone.  
  
Bianco was the most dangerous personally, physically to Fiona. She knew that he was far stronger than she was, unprotected against anything he might try. Bianco was smug and self-assured. He was sly, and slippery. He reminded Fiona of a serpent, gliding and poisonous. He piloted a yellow command wolf along side Nero most of the time, but when he was with Viola he piloted a small Redler. He had a sharp, narrow face with eyes the pale blue color of ice. Cold and unmoving. He was the one who usually has the whip in his hands, and he was the one who usually interrogates her. Bianco was one who should be feared in Fiona's mind.  
  
All of the bandits had a scarlet streak across their face.  
  
If any of these people knew she was telepathic, she knew she would be dead. She already knew so much that she wasn't safe with any of them. She was never really safe with them, but now just being near someone meant that Fiona could read his or her thoughts. Fiona didn't know how to control that power just yet, but she was slowly acquiring skills that would help her to conquer them. The only one who really stood in her way from escaping the most was the leader.  
  
Still not know his name, Fiona was led to a large room where the man sat reading papers, with a radio next to him. Fiona still had the whip twirled around her neck, and as soon as the man looked up, Zeke was brought to him and Fiona was kicked behind the knees to make her fall forward. She did, and set her hands out below her to make sure she didn't fall on her face. The whip jerked her head up, and she strained it to the side, away from the man who was walking forward. Zeke got to his feet and bit the cord savagely until Fiona was free. He stepped in front of her, protecting her from this man who seemed so pleased that they were there. He stopped when the organiod lashed his tail at him, catching him in the head. His head turned sharply with the impact, and he staggered a bit. Viola cried out his name, and Fiona at last knew the name of the reason she was here instead of with Van and Maria.  
  
"Rosso! Are you all right?" the brunette asked, trying to run around the organiod put he wasn't budging, and tried to bite Bianco's arm. He reeled back and looked at Viola in rage.  
  
"That stupid pet of her's almost took of my hand!" Viola ignored him and instead took out her gun and aimed it at Fiona. To Zeke she said, "Stop, or your little mistress gets a new mouth." Fiona glanced at Zeke, and he received the message.  
  
Zeke lurched forward and bit down on the metal of the gun, tearing it to pieces. Viola gasped and stood back, her eyes wide with shock. Fiona smiled, and walked over to Zeke, but before she reached him, Rosso grabbed her in a tight hold from behind. He put his hand on her neck, and tilted back her head. There he placed a slim dagger, and Zeke froze, watching the scene with unreadable red eyes. Fiona's eyes flashed with hatred and terror at the man who held her.  
  
Rosso smiled slowly; seeing the organiod obeying him was a good sight to see for him, after he worked so hard to capture the zoid. Rosso slowly drew a line of blood across her neck, and Zeke started towards them, snarling. Rosso barked at him to stop, so he did, fearful for Fiona's safety. The members of the deserter gang slowly advanced on the organiod, who started flailing and hitting with his tail. Rosso whispered harshly to Fiona to tell him to calm down, so she murmured in a soft soothing voice to him. The humans in the room found themselves falling asleep, but forced themselves to stay alert when Zeke stopped moving, allowing them to capture him. He was shoved and poked and prodded to a cell in which the chained him to the wall with a chain which attached like a leash and collar around Zeke's neck. The wall was made of the stone that they were surrounded by from the ruins.  
  
Fiona was left with Rosso, Viola, Bull and Nero in the big room she had been in before. Bianco watched her and before he left he gave her a big wink that made her blood run cold. Rosso quietly watched the exchange. He had released her to sit in a chair tied up with bits of the coiled whip that Zeke had bitten off her.  
  
"So, tonight we have a guest for dinner Viola. How did this happen?" he asked his comrade mockingly, staring intently all the while at the petite blonde he had in his care. Fiona blocked out his thoughts, and made herself immune to the outside world. Instead she thought to Zeke: 'Are you all right? Zeke?' but she abruptly pulled back when Bull came forward and slapped across the face. Her neck had stopped bleeding, but when it was yanked to the side by Bull's hands on her hair, pulling, it started to sting again. She shut her eyes against the pain that was running through her scalp because of the roots being torn out of her head by Bull.  
  
"Bull, get off of me!" she said forcefully, and tried to throw him against the wall with a summoned wind, but it didn't come. She sighed, and started shaking her head back and forth, trying to lessen the pain. Her hair was still in the unusual shape it was always in, coming out at the sides, and falling down at the back of her head. Bull said back to her angrily, "Answer Rosso! Your fate is in his hands!" Fiona looked over to Rosso, who looked at her coldly.  
  
"Drop her Bull." He ordered, and brought a chair closer to Fiona. Bull did as he was told, then watched Rosso.  
  
"Leave Bull." He commanded, and he did, staring at Fiona in an expression she couldn't read. After the door closed, Rosso continued with his planned interrogation.  
  
"What is your relationship to the silver organiod. How did he follow your orders if you never spoke them? How old are you? What are you called? Where did you come from?" he asked quickly to the still stubborn girl.  
  
Fiona answered only the questions she chose to.  
  
"The organiod is mine, he only follows my commands. My name is Fiona. I came from the Wind Colony, until recently." She said, glaring at him with all her considerable will power. Rosso smiled without humor at the first answer.  
  
"Viola, she will be worth quite a bit on the market. A girl who controls zoids, and has an organiod that only does what she commands. Anything else?" Rosso asked amusedly. Fiona snorted.  
  
"Do you honestly think I would tell you anything else? Where is Zeke?"  
  
Rosso smiled.  
  
"So. Zeke would be this organiod of yours, correct?" Fiona nodded. "So now we have another mouth to feed again. And here I was hoping that we would only have a zoid that didn't eat. I wasn't expecting you to like our hospitality so much, Fiona." Fiona frowned at the big man. He turned around and called to Viola.  
  
"Come here Viola. Our two girls, Fiona and Viola. Viola.." He trailed off when he started to whisper to his fellow bandit next to him, glancing at Fiona while he spoke.  
  
Fiona closed her eyes, and slowly concentrated on the two individuals in front of her, and managed to 'hear' a little of their conversation through their minds.  
  
'Rosso might like me to guard this weird girl, but I don't.' that was Viola.  
  
'I don't want that Bianco near this girl. She's worth thousands to the employer who wanted that organiod.' Rosso was going to make sure Bianco stayed away? That made Fiona sigh out loud with relief. Rosso glanced suspiciously at Fiona, but she merely stared blankly at him. Rosso motioned towards Fiona and Nero came up and jerked her towards Zeke's cell, and threw her in with her arms still tied behind her back. She stumbled in, losing her balance, but quickly regained it and rushed to Zeke. Nero watched as the two had a quick, joyous reunion. Because the organiod was only chained around his neck, he was able to loosen the bonds around her hands, but not completely remove them, because Nero was watching. The two went into the most comfortable position they could, which was Zeke curled up around Fiona, supplying warmth from his constantly running generator and zoid core, with her head against his silver body. They soon fell into a light slumber.  
  
They were both awake, and thinking together however when Bianco came for a visit. Nero quickly talked to him, and the contents of the conversation made Bianco angry. He angrily whispered to Nero, who finally nodded. Bull came up as well and all of them started watching Fiona and making rude comments to each other like they were in a zoo and Fiona an animal in a cage.  
  
"She'll be a real looker when she grows up!" said Bull, with Bianco nodding. Nero said nothing, just continued to scrutinize their captive. When Bianco reached for the door to the cage, Nero stopped him, saying that Rosso had said no one was allowed in there except for himself, and Viola. Bianco grumbled.  
  
"What, is he saving her for himself?" before shutting up at the look Nero gave him.  
  
"What are you doing down here?" asked Rosso, standing in the hallway with a shadow on his right. Bull and Bianco gulped and mumbled some excuse to Rosso and split, running down the hallway a fast as they could. Rosso looked closely at Fiona through the bars of the cell then whispered something to Nero, gesticulating to the shadow he held.  
  
"Did he try to go in the cage?" Rosso asked, and Nero nodded.  
  
"I thought he would. We can't have him harassing little girls, can we Fiona?" Fiona looked up, startled that he'd cared enough to make sure no one touched her.  
  
"Here, I brought you a play mate." The red head said, before tossing someone into the cell and leaving.  
  
For a second, Fiona feared that he had been joking with her about Bianco and he let him in, or Bull. Instead, the boy stood up, and went around behind her to untie her bonds.  
  
"Van!" Fiona cried happily, for the moment forgetting that he too was now a prisoner. Van smiled sheepishly and nodded. Fiona brought out her raw and red hands, and gave Van a hug. Van returned the hug, and then both of them were crying.  
  
Van pulled away first, then wiped a tear off her cheek. Van knew that outside it was raining. He had guessed a long time ago what her powers were and to her surprise had not hated her, only supported her when she was in trouble. Van explained that he had come to rescue her and had ended up getting caught. He put a hand behind his head, and grinned bashfully. Zeke's throat, a red as deep as his eyes, let loose a purr for their would- be savoir. The organiod was still curled around his tired Fiona, and Van soon noticed that she was falling asleep while they talked. Van finally told her to go to sleep, and she did, nestled against Zeke's strong body. Van's black hair rose in spikes above his head, the rest coming back to a ponytail at the nape of his neck. His eyes were a dark black; they could express rage one minute, a child-like playfulness the next. Fiona had soft light blonde hair, and her clothes were still that of Van's, even though they were a bit bloody and torn. Her eyes were closed peacefully, despite their harsh surroundings. Van leaned against the snoring organiod and rested.  
  
Viola woke them that night. Rosso wanted to speak with them. When the two tired young teenagers stumbled into the room, the sight of Bianco quickly woke Fiona up, while Rosso's frame did the same to Van. Viola watched, bemusedly as Van glared at Rosso and demanded to be released. Rosso sat on one of the chairs in the room and stared at Fiona, ignoring Van. Fiona blushed under the strict gaze of the villain, but did not look away. Bull sipped coffee from a cracked tin cup and watched Van. Nero was not present, probably sleeping off his morning guard duty. Viola went to stand next to Rosso, who finally spoke.  
  
"Fiona here," he motioned towards her and Zeke, standing together as always, "is going with the organiod to a buyer that I have contacted. The villagers have been asking for this one here," this time he pointed towards Van, "And have offered to pay a ransom, but this buyer wanted the boy too. He wants him to work manual labor on a farm, and use Fiona to help with the zoids, maybe something more. I don't care. The villagers don't have a lot of money, this guy does. Case closed. Viola, fly them with Bull to this guy. He lives near the other side of the Elemia Desert. Bull, take your Guysack. Viola, take the organiod in your Redler. Bull has enough space in his zoid for the kids. Go now, under the cover of darkness. We will clean up the base and get ready to move on to the next designated village. I'm not giving the girl to the cursed Empire or the Republic, no matter what that Colonel says about the organiod. It can't be controlled by us, and I'm not taking the girl with us every where." Rosso stood up, and left the room. Viola shrugged and called for Bull to get ready.  
  
All in all, it took the bandits four hours to get ready. Fiona had to say goodbye to Zeke for a while when Viola took him through the sky, then Van and Fiona's hands were bound tightly in front of them, and then they were ready. The sky was clear, and stars lit up the sky, while the two moons shone a golden orange-yellow color through their crescents.  
  
Bull was happy to have the kids, not the dangerous organiod in his new zoid. The scorpion-like zoid scuttled across the sand after Viola, who had already taken off. Fiona thought to both Van and Zeke during the long trip.  
  
Finally, when the sun was breaking over the horizon, Van thought to her about escape. Fiona told Zeke, who agreed happily to their plan.  
  
At the same instant, Van clubbed Bull with his tied up hands, and Zeke squirmed out of the loose grasp of the Redler. Van hastily took the controls, and stopped the zoid next to a bunch of rocks. Fiona jumped down, Van followed her, and Zeke landed next to Fiona. They headed in the direction of the rocks, and jumped into a small hole just big enough for the three of them.  
  
Fiona started to shake, she was trying to control her power over weather now and use it to her advantage. She started to breathe raggedly, and the wind picked up. She started breathing so fast that Van had to steady her with his hands. The wind howled out in the desert, and a cyclone threw itself out of the cloudy sky. Viola's Redler was thrown far; she wasn't going to try to come back. Bull's zoid was thrown as far as Viola's and lay there until Bull regained consciousness. Unfortunately for him, he did right as the twister came for him. He was thrown farther, and started to run away from the crazed cyclone. The whirlwind of sand collapsed upon itself as soon as the two zoids were gone. Fiona was breathing harshly, and passed out a few moments later.  
  
Van lowered Fiona onto Zeke's back, and the two climbed out into the desert. Then the pair started walking.  
  
They walked as far as they could without food and water, then Zeke watched as Van collapsed. The organiod sighed in his head, and put Fiona next to the unconscious Van and jettisoned swiftly out in the desert, looking for any other zoids in the vicinity. After flying for an hour, Zeke stumbled upon a lone Venomous Viper. The pilot was still sleeping next to a fire, but woke instantly at the sound of Zeke's burners. He held a gun in the direction of the organiod, but Zeke used his limited telepathic ability to explain to the man.  
  
His brown flyaway hair stuck out in all directions, contained only by a white headband that was tied at the back of his head. He wore a dark purple, almost black shirt that tightly covered his chest, but didn't come up to his shoulders and was supported by a strap that went down to his belt. He wore gloves and two armbands; he also wore a patch over his right eye. He hurried toward his zoid, and followed the organiod as he sped across the horizon to the two humans huddled against each other against the desert heat.  
  
When Zeke arrived back at the scene, Fiona was awake, but Van was just coming around. Zeke nuzzled the distressed girl and waited for the man with the Viper to arrive.  
  
He did, five minutes later, emerging from under the sand. Van was now fully awake, and staring with shock at the zoid pilot. He told them to get in, so they did, with the man piloting and the two kids along side of him. He led them back to the campsite he had made for himself, and set about making lunch for the gaunt, starving kids. The man introduced himself as Irvine, a traveler who was wandering for a job. He had made corn, and had put butter on the ears of the juicy kernels. Van dug in, but Fiona just stared at the fire starter. Irvine watched the girl with her solitary thoughts, then turned to Van and asked how old they were, and what they were doing out here in the middle of the desert with no zoid. Van was busy shoveling food into his mouth so Fiona answered for him. She didn't exactly tell the whole truth, only half, as she had come to realize that not all people could be trusted on this changed planet of Zi.  
  
"Van is fourteen, but I'm thirteen. Bandits kidnapped us, but we escaped out here and ran from them. We're interested in Ancient Ruins." Zeke roared as well.  
  
Irvine stared at Zeke when he answered.  
  
"In that case, you could go to the ruins over by the ridge back there." He pointed behind them at a small canyon. "It's not exactly ancient, but I heard it was built on top of Zoidian remains." Fiona drew in her breath quickly. Van glanced at her and decided that's where they would go.  
  
'Fiona, we could hide there and try to get some word to Maria or something. I'm sure it would have some kinda radio, and maybe even food!' Van thought to his friend. Irvine silently thought to himself, and Fiona didn't even try to hone in on his thoughts. The next question asked was one that startled Fiona.  
  
"What are your names?"  
  
Fiona had forgotten all about introductions. She hurriedly told him their names.  
  
"Van and Fiona huh? Those are names you don't hear every day." Irvine said, laying down on his back, and staring up at the cloudy sky.  
  
"You shouldn't be talking Irvine." Said Van indignantly, closing his eyes and taking another rip at the ear of corn he held between two buttery hands. Irvine chuckled and took a nap. Fiona followed suit, laying down and using her hair as a soft pillow. Zeke laid down and stretched into a long line, then promptly fell asleep. Van continued to eat corn well into the afternoon, until they were all gone. When Van had eaten the last one, he burped loudly and settled on to his back for a long rest.  
  
When the three travelers woke up, the mysterious Irvine was gone.  
  
Fiona and Zeke searched for a note, but not finding one decided to go to the ruins the helpful traveler had informed them of. They reached the ruins a few hours later on foot. Zeke clanked in, and zoomed off to make sure it was safe for his female charge to enter. Fiona and Zeke stayed in touch constantly to make sure nothing went wrong. The ruins were beautiful, filled with a lush forest, and Van could distinctly hear running water. Ahead, Fiona spotted a tree with apples growing fat and juicy on the thin stems from the fruit tree. She started to climb until she reached two fat ones, and yanked them off the tree. She went back to Van with her mouth full of the crisp fruit, and Van fell upon the other one with a vengeance. The two started toward the ruins themselves, but were stopped short when explosions burst and hit the far wall where they were standing. Fiona and Van rushed for cover in a ditch. The man with the gun, who was responsible for the explosions smiled and hopped down to the fresh, green scenery below.  
  
"Are you okay?" Van asked Fiona. Her hair was dirty and matted, but sill in the same style. A flying stone had hit Van; it had drawn blood that was now slowly oozing down his head.  
  
"Okay kids, parties over!" someone said on a loud speaker.  
  
"Hey Van, doesn't that voice belong to-" Fiona was cut off when another explosion made the ground tremble while stone and dust come tumbling down from the old rocky buildings. Fiona screamed while Van yelled and Fiona could dimly hear Zeke in the reaches of her mind. Then the two humans ran into the ruins, ducking for cover.  
  
Van was the first one to find the passage in the back room. He had been dusting off a bookshelf when he hit the secret switch. A ladder had appeared behind the wooden case. When they climbed down, there had been a blocked passageway full of stones that had apparently fallen, blocking the way. Van started climbing up, and Fiona followed the light, a little sad that Zeke wasn't with her. Van went cautiously out looking for food, but a few minutes after he left, Fiona sensed someone outside her door. She stepped softly on the solid stone floor and reached for her intruder.  
  
It was Zeke.  
  
Fiona rushed into his metallic arms and hugged him tightly, scared at how much she had missed her friend. Zeke made a growling noise in the back of his throat and headed for the still open hidden path to the blocked stairwell. Zeke burst threw the tumbled rocks and lumbered down, making sure that Fiona didn't trip on any hidden steps.  
  
When they reached the bottom Fiona immediately noticed the pillar that stood in the middle of the otherwise empty room. She stared and became so entranced in the letters inscribed upon its surface that she lost all sense of time, or space. Zeke finally noticed something was wrong when Fiona didn't answer to his mind call and he could not penetrate her thoughts. Zeke ran up the ladder to find Van, and found him setting fruits on the little table besides the bed. Zeke called to him, and Van finally noticed the urgent organiod. He followed him down the cleared path, marveling at Zeke's strength.  
  
When Van saw Fiona in her trance-like state, he called out her name, rushing to her apparent aid. Fiona heard someone calling her, and suddenly the letters started filling with an odd light. In her mind, Fiona started to spiral slowly toward the answers written in her forgotten language. She dropped slowly to the floor, her mind unable to withstand the onslaught of memories from her ancient past.  
  
Van caught her before she fell, lessening the impact against the hard ground with his body acting as a buffer. The young boy struggled to wake up his friend; they had no time for her fainting now. Van sighed as he tediously picked up his friend and brought her up the stepladder to the main room. He laid her on the more-or-less soft bed, and went out to watch the local surroundings for the zoid that he had glimpsed before when he was searching for food. The sun slowly set, causing the desert to erupt with brilliant colors against the ever-changing sky. Fiona woke, and Zeke nuzzled against her. When Van stopped in to check on her, she hazily whispered to her friend the words 'Zoid Eve' before falling into slumber again. Zeke stayed vigilant for his friend Fiona, and went to sleep on the floor below her a bit later when there showed no signs of trouble.  
  
Van returned later that night after spying on a white Gogulas he had spotted near a large lake besides the ruins. The poor zoid had probably been abandoned because of his broken leg. Van sighed and laid down on the dusty floor to get some rest. In a few minutes, everyone in the room was asleep.  
  
When Zeke woke up, both humans were gone. He stood up on his two strong legs and grumbled to himself about the random aspects of humans. He heard Fiona laughing and giggling so walked over to find her.  
  
'Fiona?' he thought, trying to find his giggling ward.  
  
"Over here Zeke!" she called and the organiod heard a big splash.  
  
When Zeke immerged on scene he found Van dripping wet with Fiona on the ground and laughing. They were in a clearing with a stream running through, and a natural stone platform that could have easily fit two people on the top, which was no more than two feet of the ground. Zeke smiled at the enraged human, and stalked over to investigate a flower through the bushes. His silver body concealed from sight, he managed to watch the next scene with unaltered horror. He heard the snap of a twig, and thought nothing of it, thinking it to be more of Fiona and Van's playing. When he heard Van yell, he spun around on his sleek form. He didn't run from the bushes however, he did have a fully operational brain, albeit a metal one.  
  
What Zeke saw from the bushes persuaded him to come out, but again he didn't. He saw the man called Irvine with a gun, pointing it at Fiona, and demanding Zeke. Van shouted "No!"  
  
"We'll never let you have Zeke!" cried the boy, and turned around to run. A call from Fiona stopped him.  
  
When Van turned around, he noticed that Fiona was now on the platform with Irvine, he had grabbed her and pulled her up with them. The thief pointed his gun at the young girl's head.  
  
"Hand over the organiod, or your girlfriend comes with me!" he threatened to Van, assuming the organiod was his.  
  
Zeke took the signal from Fiona and jumped against the rock, destroying it completely, sending Fiona flying, and Irvine sprawling. Zeke caught Fiona mid-air, via boosters and zoomed over to Van. The organiod let Fiona get off him and the three raced off along one of the ruins' walls.  
  
Irvine cursed and jumped into his Venomous Viper, which was placed in a sniper position up on a cliff. One of the buildings started to collapse when he fired at it, sending tons of rocks below. Unfortunately, Van was under the rocks at that precious second when the rocks fell and when the dust cleared, Fiona could briefly see a hand sticking out of the ruble. Fiona screamed and started crying for the buried boy, but had to continue running away from the zoid who was chasing her.  
  
She and Zeke ran into a small tunnel and started to run as fast as Fiona could, considering that Zeke could run ten times faster than a human. When they reached the opening they rushed out into the bright daylight; they had been in the ruins' sewer system. Standing ahead of them was the gray, serpent-like Venomous Viper in all its glory against the sun. The pilot stood with a gun in his hand.  
  
"Come on up Fiona, and bring your friend." He said to the exasperated girl.  
  
Fiona might have been terrified, but she was getting mad by all the attempts on her for her friend Zeke. It had cost her so much: her self- control, her temper and worst of all Van. She sighed, with tears on her cheeks she slowly worked her self into a temper and rage while she walked over to the man. She conjured up images of her friend Van's body lying among the rubble for the rest of its days as a corpse, of Maria never knowing, of Zeke going with this stranger and Fiona dying in the midst desert. She knew what she was doing, but she knew that it would likely kill either her, or this murderer.  
  
When she reached Irvine, her head was on her chest and she had hunched-over shoulders. When he grabbed her shoulder tightly, she let loose her rage in a powerful scream that called a hurricane born of desperate winds.  
  
Her tears of guilt and grief brought forth a drench of rain, hard and unmerciful against the vulnerable skin of the humans.  
  
Fiona threw out her head as she screamed, spreading out her clenched fists and arching her body against the wind she had summoned. The man in front of her could hardly been seen through the curtain of rain she had unleashed against her attacker, but she could dimly see his form hunched behind his zoid. Fiona realized that Zeke was covering her, trying to get her attention. He growled into her ear.  
  
What are you doing?! This is no way to harm him! We still have to find the Zoid Eve you mentioned!  
  
Fiona ignored him, and instead replied to the howling wind that she was getting her revenge against Van's death. Zeke angrily responded.  
  
Van isn't dead! He's right over there with the old man!  
  
The weather suddenly stopped. Just stopped.  
  
The rain disappeared as Fiona called the sun out, and the wind died until nothing remained in the desert except for Irvine and the girl. But now there appeared to be two new people rushing towards the exhausted and battered fighters.  
  
Van came down from the ruins waving one arm; the other was in a splint. The strange old man had two long sections of hair held together with a band behind either ear. He had a long, plain face with large eyes. His forehead was wrinkled from constant frowning and he appeared very eccentric.  
  
"Hello, my dear." He said, helping her up from the ground, where she had fallen and was now staring from the man to Van and back. Her eyes were wide, and she appeared to be in shock.  
  
"Fiona?" asked Van, kneeling beside his friend in concern. He looked toward his new friend, "I think she's just in shock, why don't you go tie up the bandit?"  
  
"Because the bandit is all ready gone. He sustained many superficial injuries; he probably went to go heal somewhere. Speaking of healing, that arm will do no good unless you keep it still. Come on Van, bring Fiona this way to my campsite."  
  
Fiona stumbled after the two men, who were both conversing on organiods, zoids, papayas, and other obscene things to her mind. Zeke stayed with her, nudging and prodding her to continue when ever she fell over a hidden tree root, or something else. The silver organiod was very patient with the weary girl and understood the extreme lengths she had pulled her powers through. Fiona sighed, and pulled out the long cloak Maria had given her that was foldable and transportable. She had kept it in her pockets ever since. Now, she wrapped herself with the cloak and continued to follow her back from the dead friend and weird old man.  
  
"Fiona! Fiona, wake up!"  
  
The girl sat up, and rubbed her eyes. It was night, and Van sat on a fell log, offering a bowl of stew to his sleepy companion. The old man sat across from Van, and was busy pouring all the salt into the pot. Fiona noticed that Van had a separate kettle, and chuckled quietly. He knew how much salt she added to her food.  
  
Fiona accepted the warm bowl, and sat next to him on the log, blowing slowly on the hot soup to cool it. Zeke watched intently from his warm spot next to the electric fire site that only needed one match to start. Apparently the aged, yet energetic man was prepared for camping, unlike the two young people.  
  
"So Van, how did you come across such a rare thing as an organiod?" the man asked casually. "By the way Fiona, my name is Dr. D. Van here has given me the title of 'Gramps', but I would prefer it that you called me by the doctor name. It's more distinguished than 'Gramps'." Dr D. said, giving Van a pointed look. The dark haired boy blushed slightly, but answered the earlier question.  
  
"This is Fiona's organiod, she's the only one he listens to. He's called Zeke. They're special, they have this bond thing goin' on between 'em." Van said happily, eating away at his food. Fiona stared at her soup, willing herself to be hungry. After all, the last food she had had was an apple that morning. She hesitantly took a bite of the food, and made herself swallow it. It wasn't that the food was bad; Fiona just had no appetite, she felt sick. Dr. D stared at the girl before handing her a mug of coffee with salt. She accepted it gratefully; thinking it might help her stomach with all the different foods she had to eat in this new era.  
  
Back at the village, Fiona had hardly been able to down the edibles and had eaten only the simplest foods and drinks. After Fiona had been in what she referred to as 'The Long Sleep', her stomach had shrunken, and had shut down, as per computer's orders, to reenergize when she woke up later. It had not accepted the foreign foods that Maria had made and Fiona had been forced to eat simple fruits and soups as her diet.  
  
The doctor looked at her strangely and sighed. 


End file.
